Voters across the country are being deluged by an onslaught of television advertising as candidates and big-spending outside groups dump millions of dollars on a growing battleground that stretches from the North Maine Woods to the posh suburbs of San Diego.
The two sides and their outside allies have already spent or reserved nearly a half-billion dollars in television time in the fight over control of the House of Representatives, according to data compiled by several Democratic and Republican sources watching the media landscape.
This week alone, candidates and outside groups are spending more than $63 million on television airtime in 51 districts across the country.
Free educational discussion to be held on Monday, October 1st
Excelsior, MN – Dean Phillips will moderate a free and open-to-the-public panel discussion focused on health policy on Monday, October 1st at Normandale Community College. Phillips’s campaign for Congress is based on the idea that representation begins with listening, and everyone’s invited join in this solutions-focused conversation with experts of varied beliefs and backgrounds.
Healthcare reform is an issue that dominates conversation on the campaign trail, and is one on which Phillips and his opponent, Congressman Erik Paulsen, differ greatly. Congressman Paulsen has is the sixth largest recipient of special interest money in all of Congress, having accepted more than $1.6 million from drug and insurance interests while voting repeatedly to repeal the Affordable Care Act and gut protections for pre-existing conditions.
DFL challenger Dean Phillips and Rep. Erik Paulsen greeted each other at the end of Tuesday’s Third Congressional District debate in St. Louis Park. Credit: Glen Stubbe, Star Tribune
Stylistically, the mild-mannered and neighborly Erik Paulsen is a good fit for this highly college-educated suburban Minneapolis seat. In 2016, he won his fifth term with 57 percent while Hillary Clinton won it 50 percent to 41 percent. But in a stunning turn, he’s now trailing badly in polls and on the verge of being abandoned by his party, in part because his votes for the GOP healthcare and tax bills shredded his moderate credentials.
Democrats have a strong nominee in vodka and gelato businessman Dean Phillips, the grandson of advice columnist “Dear Abby” and the great-great-grandson of the founder of the Minneapolis-based Phillips Distilling Company. Despite his personal wealth, he hasn’t self-funded and has sought to channel the late populist Sen. Paul Wellstone by driving around in a refurbished 1960s-era International Harvester he calls a “government repair truck.”
Republicans have sought to attack Phillips as a slicked-back, out-of-touch millionaire who calls for universal health care but didn’t offer coverage to his coffee shop employees. And Paulsen has tried to create separation from President Trump by airing an ad featuring him paddling a canoe, touting his opposition to mining near the Boundary Waters Canoe Wilderness Area. But so far, those ads don’t appear to be denting Phillips’s advantage.
Viewed over 1 million times, ad becomes first to air just once since 1990
Excelsior, MN – With well over one million views online and accolades from national media outlets and thousands of viewers calling it one of the best ads ever made, Phillips for Congress’s viral “We Found Bigfoot” online video is making its way to television. A 60-second version of the spot will air on TV during this Thursday’s Vikings vs. Rams pregame show.
In the two days following Bigfoot’s release online, Phillips for Congress raised over $86,000 and saw enormous support from individuals hoping to see the memorable ad run on TV.
“As Dean said, when they go low, we go hilarious,” said Zach Rodvold, Campaign Manager for Phillips for Congress. “So while the airwaves are crowded with dishonest attack ads — most of them targeting Dean as part of a coordinated smear campaign — Bigfoot uses a little humor to communicate a serious message. And it’s funny because it’s true: Erik Paulsen is the 6th biggest taker of special interest money in Congress, and spends his time courting his donors while avoiding his constituents at all costs.”Continue reading “Viral “We Found BigfootI” Ad to Air on TV Ahead of Thursday Night Viking Game”
The gamesmanship between U.S. Rep. Erik Paulsen and challenger Dean Phillips continues to impress. Paulsen’s campaign manager John-Paul Yates asked Phillips if they could use his coffee shop to film an ad:
I am writing to request the use of the Linden Hills Penny’s Coffee shop to film a political commercial. Since Penny’s has previously allowed political commercials to be filmed at their shops, we believe that the facilities are equipped to handle such logistics. To the extent that the location requires any additional build out or resources to facilitate the filming we are able and willing to provide that at our own expense without impacting the shop. We are more than willing to pay whatever fee was charged of other political campaigns to shoot at Penny’s Coffee shop.
The subtext here is that Paulsen has continued to hit Phillips for not offering employee health insurance when the shop opened. Phillips called their bluff, responding:
Thank you for your inquiry about using Penny’s coffee shop…Coincidentally, I too am running for Congress, and I operate my campaign the same as Penny’s; by offering accessibility, radical hospitality, a fun environment to which everyone’s invited, livable wages, and a healthcare plan for all full-time employees. We would be happy to host you at Penny’s to film your commercial for Congressman Paulsen free of charge, provided it’s during normal business hours. Please advise me of the date and time you’d like to shoot, and we’ll confirm if it works for our team. I’ll also commit to being onsite to ensure the experience exceeds your expectations.
Welcome to the Creativity Top 5 most interesting brand ideas of the week.
5. Denny’s: ‘Mobile Relief Diner’, EP & Co
Denny’s is taking its grill on the road to provide food to people affected by natural disasters. After a trial run feeding victims of California wildfires, the Mobile Relief Diner is headed to North Carolina, with free pancakes, bacon and coffee for people hit by Hurricane Florence. The chain’s creative agency of record, EP & Co, is getting the word out.
4. Nike: ‘Fastest Ever’, Wieden & Kennedy Portland
Nike’s timing is perfect. Just days before Kenyan runner Eliud Kipchoge set a stunning new world record at the Berlin Marathon, this spot from Wieden & Kennedy came out: It features his feet, hitting the track like a meditative machine. It also hearkens back to Nike’s attempt to break the 2-hour marathon record in 2017, a goal that seems a bit more attainable now.
3. Dean Phillips for Congress: ‘We Found Bigfoot!’, Hunt Adkins
The Pacific Northwest’s hairiest protohuman makes a public appearance in a campaign ad for Dean Phillips, a Democrat running for the House in Minnesota’s 3rd District. Bigfoot tries to track down Phillips’ elusive opponent, Republican incumbent Erik Paulsen, in a spot from Minneapolis agency Hunt Adkins.
New NRCC ad attacks Dean Phillips for something that happened two years after he stepped down as CEO of Phillips Distilling
Excelsior, MN – Just days after Erik Paulsen and the special interests supporting his campaign were called out for running false and misleading ads against Dean Phillips, party committees and special interest super PACs benefitting Congressman Paulsen are doubling down on their dishonest attacks, with the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) launching yet another smear ad featuring false claims.
The new NRCC ad claims that Dean Phillips “profited” from — and his company was “cited” for — marketing alcohol to underage people. The private citizen’s complaint to the Distilled Spirits Council referenced in the ad by the NRCC occurred in 2014, two years after Dean Phillips left his position as CEO of Phillips Distilling, and while he held no financial stake in the company.
“Negative ads are one thing,” said Dean Phillips. “But spending millions of dollars to repeatedly and intentionally mislead voters is beneath the dignity of a member of Congress and his allies. That’s why I’m on a mission to change the culture of corruption caused by big money in our political system.” Continue reading “Paulsen’s Patrons Filling the Airwaves with Even More Falsehoods and Distortions”
MINNEAPOLIS — New claims in attack ads against DFL candidate Dean Phillips range from misleading to just plain false.
Phillips, a business executive and political newcomer, is challenging five-term Republican incumbent Erik Paulsen in Minnesota’s 3rd District, which covers a mainly suburban area west of Minneapolis.
We put several fresh claims to the VERIFY truth test and found the average viewer would come away with several false impressions of Phillips from watching these ads.
